


All The Pretty Things That We Could Be

by RyeRiley



Category: The 100 (TV)
Genre: F/F, Fluff
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-01-14
Updated: 2019-01-14
Packaged: 2019-10-10 01:51:32
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,764
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17416712
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/RyeRiley/pseuds/RyeRiley
Summary: Lexa and Clarke have never met yet, yet Lexa thinks of Clarke and Clarke thinks of Lexa. Finally, in some strange circumstance, the paths of these two strangers finally intersect.Some fluff inspired by the Boy song "Little Numbers". This is a modern Clexa AU.





	All The Pretty Things That We Could Be

**Author's Note:**

> This is my first time to post a one shot. I just stumbled upon an idea while listening to a song during my morning commute. I hope you'll like some Clexa fluff.

* * *

“It’s enough for me to be sure that you and I exist at this moment.”

Gabriel Garcia Marquez, One Hundred Years of Solitude

* * *

 

An upbeat tune fills the nearly empty space of a small flat: “Little Numbers” by Boy (Mutual Friends Album).

 

_Waited for your call, for the moon_

_To release me from the longest afternoon_

_I've re-arranged parts of my living room_

_But time is hard to kill since I met you_

_Looking at the cars that drive on by_

_While spring is making promise outside_

_Red cars are quite rare I realize_

_Then I wonder which color you like_

_Seven little numbers baby, they could be a start_

_Seven little numbers baby, I know yours by heart_

_Woo-oh, oh-oh, all the pretty things that we could be_

_Woo-oh, oh-oh, I feel you in every heart beat_

_Woo-oh, oh-oh, were you ever in a dream that could come true_

_These numbers could be lucky for you_

_Watch the sky change to a darkened blue_

_I can't think of another thing to do_

_And every song just makes me think of you_

_Because the singers sounds as if she was longing,_

_As if she was longing, too_

_Seven little numbers baby, they could be a start_

_Seven little numbers baby, I know yours by heart_

_Seven little numbers baby, they could make a change_

_Seven little numbers baby, make a fire out of this flame_

_Woo-oh, oh-oh, all the pretty things that we could be_

_Woo-oh, oh-oh, I feel you in every heart beat_

_Woo-oh, oh-oh, were you ever in a dream that could come true_

_These numbers could be lucky for you_

_I read your name on every wall, on every wall, tell me_

_Is there a cure for me at all, for me at all, tell me_

_I read your name on every wall, on every wall, tell me_

_Is there a cure for me at all, for me at all_

 

The song fades from the booming Bluetooth speaker place on the kitchen countertop. It was mid-afternoon in her flat; Lexa looks out into the light traffic of bustling vehicles behind her window from the 7th floor of her building. Her orange tabby cat, Charlemagne quietly lounges on his pillow on a ledge by the window. Lexa continues to observe the riot outside as she sips her coffee, all the noise is somewhat muffled behind the window. Lexa has been writing her paper on aesthetics for her art studies graduate class all day; reference books were scattered all over a bulky wooden table in her dining room cum kitchen. Her flat was just a meagre 45 sqm. space, it was a one bedroom and bathroom with open kitchen, living and dining areas. She brought in a lot of furniture from her family’s old beach house; there were mismatched wicker chairs around her dining table, a shabby looking shelf which did not only store her books but some artworks as well, a coffee table made from a repurposed crates and a worn Chesterfield sofa that once belonged to her grandmother.

Lexa came from a family of corporate lawyers, so to say that the family was influential and well-off can be an understatement at times. But Lexa chose to delve into a different field, when she started to dabble with the arts, let’s just say that she was given less attention by her parents. That’s why compared to the high-rise urban living of her brother Titus in Polis, she chose to live in a more reclusive environment such as the coastal city of Arkadia. Arkadia used to be a bustling region back in the late 1900s given that it has a thriving wharf and an industry highly dependent on their importation of seafood and other related products but in the rise of dense urban centres, Arkadia became a sleepy town frequented by tourists who sought after the heritage buildings in the area such as the old Arkadia lighthouse, the canning factories and the Victorian-style shop houses. Currently, studying and working in the Arkadia University as a researcher, Lexa spent most of her time in elevating the appreciation of the work of some unnamed wood and metal craftsmen in the area. Being the centre of trade once, a lot of artisans lived in the area but most these families chose to remain unknown to the rest of the world, whatever their motivations were, Lexa wanted to find out.

Arkadia was also some sort of a safe haven for Lexa, it was a good thing that she almost does not know anyone in the area to escape her family’s influence in Polis, well, aside from her childhood friend Aden. Aden is studying veterinary medicine in the same school, in contrast to Lexa’s high-profile family background; Aden was from an undemanding family. He simply moved to Arkadia because of the school’s good reputation in their veterinary medicine program. His decision somewhat influenced Lexa knowing that at least they’ll have some sort of semblance of a family to where they were going, both of them pursued the idea of living in Arkadia after they graduate. Aden and Lexa were both very shy children growing up; meeting at middle school they both shared a penchant for comic books, collectible action figures and video games. At senior high school, most of their peers actually thought that Aden and Lexa would end up together given their closeness. But it was until their first year in college that Lexa fell for her roommate when she realized that she was a lesbian and it was in their second year when Aden first kissed a boy from his Animal Ecology class when he knew that he was gay after all. However, both encounters were a start of a series of unrequited love episodes. Lexa kept falling for straight girls throughout college and Aden ended up being cheated on by his first boyfriend several times. Both are now very single, yet, very much focused on their respective academic goals. Aden will be finishing his thesis soon for his 6-year veterinary medicine degree and Lexa just start going to school again for her graduate classes in art studies.

Encountering a speed bump in her work flow, Lexa looked into the digital clock on top of her shelf. I was 3:30 in the afternoon; she had about an hour before she meets up with Aden in their favourite coffee shop. Lexa gulps the remaining contents of her coffee mug and proceeds to tidy up for her meet-up with Aden, little does she know that the rest of her well-planned life is about to change in this ordinary afternoon.

 

* * *

 

A squishy sound of a series of wet footsteps captures Aden’s attention from the current task that he was doing with a microscope. An agitated blond enters the laboratory carrying two metal pails on each hand, both half-filled with water, one with red snapper fingerlings and another with freshwater prawn.

“You look awesome!” Aden greeted the blonde in sarcasm.

“Shut up, Nightblood! I needed to go to the hatchery again today because Murphy forgot to feed the fingerlings last weekend! I stumbled into a dead zone this morning, now we need to do everything all over again, this will take weeks!” the blond exclaimed as she set the pails down and continued to remove her wet rubber boots.

“Having a bad day, Griffin?” Aden chuckled.

“To top it all, I fell into one of the ponds startling half the population of the grouper hatchlings! Dr. Kane will...” before Clarke could finish her statement, a stern-looking man in a lab coat with thick rimmed glasses and silver hair walked into the lab.

“Clarke, what’s this I heard that you need to work on the samples all over again?” Dr. Kane inquired as he looked into some papers bound into a clipboard.

“I’m sorry Dr. Kane, you see Murphy forgot to feed the fish again last weekend and we needed to re-do everything...” Clarke tried to explain.

“Hmm” Clarke hated Dr. Kane’s passivity, he keeps mum when he’s angry or disappointed and at this note Clarke assumes that he’s both. However, being one of her parents’ closest friends, Dr. Marcus Kane always manages to stretch his patience with Clarke, especially when this mishap was clearly not her fault. “Alright, do it again, but take note, we only have five months left until your presentation.”

“Yes, Dr. Kane” was all Clarke could manage, thankful that the notoriously stringent professor remained calm.

“But when you see John, please tell him to see me” Dr. Kane reminded before he exited the lab.

“Will do, sir!” Clarke shouted after him.

“Whew! That was a close call aqua-girl!” Aden teased as he proceeded to clear out his work area and placed his book and record books inside his backpack.

“You seem to be off early, Nightblood. Going somewhere?” Clarke inquired.

“Well, it’s a Friday and typically, I go meet my best friend to catch up” Aden answered.

“Best friend as in best friend or you know, something else? For all I know, you’re out for a booty call!” Clarke teased.

“Yes, my best friend as in best friend, who happens to be a girl, if I may add, Griffin. Actually, in the most terrible state that you are in this week, I guess you’re the one up for some booty call!” Aden quipped back.

“Maybe I do need to get back on the game but I’m too swamped with all this work right now. Get it? Swamped? Haha” Clarke laughed at her own pun. “But this friend of yours is she single if I may ask?”

“If you’re looking for a hook up, leave my best friend out of it. She’s gone through a lot you know, maybe when you’re up for something serious then I can introduce you, until then, keep it in your pants, Griffin” Aden warned. “Plus, have you made up your mind yet? Last time we talked, you couldn’t weigh things between guys or girls.”

“Woah, no need to be too uptight about this, Nightblood. If only I could be more like you, forever faithful to his undying love to some Bellamy Blake” Clarke mocked.

Aden suddenly rushed to cup his hands over Clarke’s mouth to silence her. “Sssh! Someone might hear you” Aden proceeded to check if there was anyone else in the room.

“Don’t worry, no one else is here, wildlife boy went on a field work and he won’t be back until next week” Clarke explained removing Aden’s hand from her face. “Also, to answer your other question, I think I’m bisexual, I reviewed my notes from the gender and sexuality class that we took in our freshman year and I do think, I’m bisexual.”

“Well, good for you! Also, my little crush on Bell, remember, I told you in confidence? But you know, you should go out sometimes, you used to blow off some steam by partying. Where did party-girl Griffin go?” Aden poked fun at Clarke.

“Copy that, I won’t tease you when surfer boy is around. Also, party-girl Griffin is working hard to finally finish her thesis. So, I’m taking the high road” Clarke boasted.

“Alright then, ex-party girl, Griffin, I’m leaving now, don’t forget to lock up and shut the lights when you go!” Aden reminded Clarke as he left to leave Clarke alone in Dr. Kane’s aquaculture laboratory.

As he stepped outside of the building, Aden paused to think about what Clarke said for a while. Well, he did have his reasons when he decided not to introduce Clarke to Lexa. Even if he knew they had the possibility of being good friends because of Clarke’s cleverness, sense humor and interest in domesticated cats; he just had this feeling that having them together might just cause a cataclysmic imbalance in their lives. Lexa was always attracted to intelligent blondes, but after a series of unreciprocated affections, meeting Clarke might not be good for Lexa. Afterall, Clarke had a boyfriend from their freshman to sophomore year, and then had an on-again, off-again girlfriend for six months and she went haywire, sleeping around in their fourth year. Aden just felt that they had the potential to be good for each other but knowing that both their intensities might be too much for the other, he withheld any introductions until this period. He knew that his instincts were always right, but right now, he seem to have this nagging feeling that he should do something for his friends. _If they are bound to meet each other, they will meet,_ Aden told himself, as he proceeded to walk to the coffee shop by the docks to meet Lexa.

 

* * *

The next day, Lexa went out to carry out her weekly grocery shopping. It was a warm Saturday morning and the side streets of Arkadia were mostly empty, except for some tourists, locals who were out to get brunch and the bustling weekend flea market near the wharf. Lexa parked her bicycle outside of the organic farmers’ grocery. She loved this place, fresh fruits and vegetables are being brought in everyday from nearby farms and the place also had their own coffee grinders and makers, and juicers to extract fresh drinks when you visit. Lexa entered the premises and a bunch of small bells hanging from the entrance door rang to signal her entry.

“How’s it going, Lexa!” A dark-skinned broad-shouldered man greeted from behind the counter.

“Hey, Lincoln! Did the Arabica arrive today?” Lexa asked Lincoln the store owner.

“New stuff just got in yesterday. Check this out; I got fresh cilantro, parsley and basil today.” Lincoln proceeded to scoop up bundles of herbs from the counter to show Lexa.

“Yay! Set aside a good weekly greens bundle for me, will you?” Lexa directed Lincoln as she continued to grab a basket and to hover between the aisles of juices and biscuits “I’ll just go check out some stuff back here”.

When Lexa went further into the other end of the store, the entrance door rang once again to signal Lincoln that another customer has entered. A blond with her hair messily tied into a ponytail wearing dark glasses approached Lincoln at the counter.

“You’re a sight for sore eyes!” Lincoln greeted the blond.

“Shut up Linc! I’m having a bad week. Do you still happen to have that hangover cure you made me last week?” the blond inquired as she flitted around the counter to check what Lincoln had behind the shelves.

“It’s one of those days again, Clarke?” Lincoln teased as he proceeded to grab several fruits from the shelves and a bottle of honey. “Let me see what I can do” Lincoln went to chop up the ingredients near the sink that he had behind the counter and dumped the slices of fruit into a blender.

When the whirring sound of the blender ended, Clarke noticed a fine-looking brunette standing beside her by the grocer’s counter. The brunette was busy inspecting the items in her grocery basket that she did not take in the presence of another person beside her.

“Here you go, Clarke!” Lincoln passed a tall paper cup of fruit drink to Clarke.

“Thanks, Linc!” Clarke handed Lincoln a few bills, checked out the brunette beside her, and slid her dark glasses again as she exited the store. If she was not suffering from this extreme headache that she had due to last night’s drinking, she could have stuck around for some small talk with the brunette. But then again, she was not really in the mood, that’s what she gets for listening to Aden when it comes to resurrecting party-girl Griffin.

Little does Clarke know that behind Lexa’s obliviousness, the brunette was also checking her out as well. “Who was that, Linc?” Lexa asked Lincoln.

“Hmm, checking out someone else aside from these groceries?” Lincoln chuckled at his own pun.

“Haha, very funny, I just thought she looked familiar” Lexa explained.

“That’s Clarke, she goes to Arkadia University too. I’m not really sure what she’s majoring in but she’s a regular for my hangover cure” Lincoln shared. “I think behind that jagged facade is a really sweet girl.”

“Uhuh...” was all Lexa could say to Lincoln’s musings.

 

* * *

After that exchange with Lincoln, Lexa was bothered by how familiar Clarke seemed. She could not exactly place where she has seen Clarke. But if she does go to Arkadia University, it’s such an interesting fact that Lexa has never encountered her before in the several years that she has spent in the university. Lexa knows that she’s not the stalker type but there was something about this Clarke that bothered her. So, after she had her dinner and fed Charlemagne who was now snuggled in the comfort of the sofa, Lexa took out her laptop to do some nosing around. She just wanted to figure out if she really does know this Clarke, she’ll just check and that’ll be it, she told herself. She opened her Facebook account and searched for a Clarke, too bad Lincoln did not know her last name.

As Lexa browsed into the dozen of Clarke’s on Facebook, realized that it was easy to rule out the possibilities because Clarke was a typically male name. Singling out one of the female Clarke’s, she opened the profile of one _Clarke Griffin_. The profile picture showed a blond wearing a black tank top and ragged jeans with her hair in a messy bun projecting a wide smile as she sat on the steps of what looked like a university building. Lexa realized that the profile was private and the only information shown on Clarke Griffin’s profile was that she went to Arkadia University and that they had one mutual friend. Also, Lexa was surprised to see that this mutual friend was none other than her very own best friend--- Aden Nightblood.

 

* * *

 

It was two hours since Lexa realized that Aden was probably well acquainted with Clarke. Heck, they could probably belong to the same program. But Aden never mentioned a Clarke before, come to think of it; Aden has never introduced Lexa to any of his friends at the university. They always met on Fridays alone; it has been that way in years. As if Lexa has introduced any of her friends to Aden, come to think of it, despite her years in the university, she only had a few friends. There were Indra and Anya from her classes but Lexa perceived it only for collegiality. She knew several professors, her classmates and staff members from the university. Around town, there’s Lincoln the grocer, Nyko the baker, Gustus the repairman and Tristan from her building. Lexa suddenly felt how reserve she was based on the number of people that she knew.

She couldn’t really explain this force of curiosity but she did what she had to do, she texted Aden.

_Lexa: Hey, do you happen to know a Clarke?_

The response came almost instantly.

_Aden: Clarke Griffin? Why?_

Lexa took a deep breath; she just had a feeling about this girl.

_Lexa: That’s why she seemed familiar._

_Aden: I don’t understand, Lexa. I haven’t even introduced you._

_Lexa: So you do know her personally._

_Aden: Yeah, Clarke is in veterinary medicine too. We’re in the same year level._

_Lexa: How come we’ve never met?_

_Aden: Probably because I haven’t introduced you yet. Why are you asking about Clarke anyway?_

Of all people, Aden will be the only one who will find Lexa less creepy. So, she told him what actually happened.

_Lexa: I think I saw her today. I think she looked familiar. So, there you go._

_Aden: Again, how can she look familiar, you haven’t even met her yet._

_Lexa: I just had this feeling._

_Aden: Tell me the truth, Lexa. What do you think of Clarke?_

_Lexa: I did not really talk to her. I just saw her that’s all._

_Aden: Liked what you saw?_

_Lexa: Shut up, Aden!_

_Aden: I was meaning to introduce you guys years ago._

_Lexa: But?_

_Aden: She was in a bad place; you were in a bad place._

_Lexa: So, you assumed that we would hook up right away and not even end up as just friends._

_Aden: Knowing both of you, I knew there was a possibility. So, I withheld, but I guess the universe has its ways of converging people._

_Lexa: What are you talking about?_

_Aden: As I’ve said, I know both of you. You’ll hit it off. I think now’s the right time._

_Lexa: Again, you’re assuming._

_Aden: Just go add her on Facebook._

_Lexa: Would you just entertain a stranger on Facebook?_

_Aden: She’ll know that we’re friends. Go on now, you have my blessing._

_Lexa: Shut up, Aden! I don’t even know if she’s into girls._

_Aden: Trust me, she’ll be into you._

Then, without much doubt or thought, Lexa went back to Clarke’s profile and pressed the “Add Friend” button. Then, Lexa ensued with the most excruciating ten minutes of her life.

* * *

Clarke just finished showering when she heard her phone _ping!_ from inside her bedroom. Lincoln’s hangover cure was a miracle, after keeping herself hydrated for the rest of the day, Clarke’s migraine vanished. She was now preparing to relax for a while before she went back to her thesis work. Clarke planned a relaxing evening of Netflix and takeout food. Before she sat down in front of her laptop which was laid out on a portable table together with takeout boxes of Chinese food, Clarke went to check the recent notification from her phone.

To her surprise, she was faced upon the task of approving a Facebook friend request from one, _Alexandria Woods_. The name was not familiar, so when she opened the profile photo, she was astonished to see no other than the brunette from the grocery. As Clarke walked home from the grocery that morning, she scolded herself for not even bothering to say “hi” to that gorgeous brunette this morning. It’s probably some miracle that she is now caught dumbfounded as she stared at the said brunette’s profile picture. Clarke opened the account and saw a glaring twist of fate. Alexandria was mutual friends with no other than her colleague and friend, Aden Nightblood.

As not to waste time, Clarke dialled Aden’s number right away. After the first ring, Aden answered, as if anticipating a call.

_“Hey Nightblood, you do know why I’m calling, right?”_

_“It’s not about school or work isn’t it?”_

_“Of course.”_

_“Is it about Alexandria?”_

_“Who is she and why have you been keeping her from me?!”_

_“I knew it! I knew you would want to get into her pants!”_

_“C’mon Aden, I’m not that petty. Is she your best friend? The one you meet every Friday?”_

_“Yes, the one and only. Sorry if I haven’t introduced you guys to each other, at that time you were both in bad places. But I guess nature has found its course now”_

_“What do you mean?”_

_“Well, being friends with both of you, I figured that you two might hit it off. But you were so unsure then and you were surrounded with toxic people. You see, Lexa has been hurt several times; I can’t afford having her pining on you that might make things awkward for all of us. So, I decided to set it aside for a while but then I kinda realized that I totally forgot about it until now.”_

_“I was that destructive, huh?”_

_“I’m sorry, Clarke, I was just being protective of Lexa. But hey, since this happened now, then maybe you should both start by just saying “hi” to each other?”_

_“So, she did notice me at the grocer’s?”_

_“Yeah, Lexa’s very shy, so this Facebook thing is a huge step for her.”_

_“Well, Aden, I think there’s nothing to worry about then.”_

_“Clarke, just promise me you’ll be gentle, okay?”_

_“Listen to yourself, Nightblood. We’re just getting acquainted; I’m not marrying your friend yet.”_

_“Yet?”_

_“Shut up! I’m hanging up!”_

With that Clarke proceeded to approve Lexa’s friend request and continued to browse the photos in her albums finding that half of her pictures were all taken together with Aden.

* * *

It was around 5:30 in the afternoon and Lexa was at the coffee shop by the docks. After two days of finally being table to talk to Clarke online, she has mustered the guts to ask her out. Well, Lexa wanted to ask her out since day one but she felt that she might probably appear too eager. At this point, there are several things that she was glad that she has found out about Clarke. They have both finished and reread the _Lord of the Rings_ and the _Harry Potter_ books, liked the same Sofia Coppola movies, and agreed that black and white are actually not colours because they both represent the presence or the absence of colours. That is why after they have figured out that they both had free time one Thursday afternoon, they finally decided to meet up.

Lexa arrived early, so instead of her usual black coffee, she decided to calm her nerves with some peppermint tea. It was the longest 45 minutes for Lexa; her hands were clammy as she forced herself to read through her copy of _Haruki Murakami’s Sputnik Sweetheart._ Little did she notice that she has been reading the same page all over again in the past 5 minutes because she was too busy checking for any sign of Clarke. Then finally, behind the pages of the Murakami novel, Lexa noticed a blond figure approaching her. Too keep up with appearances and to mask her nervousness, Lexa pretended that she was still immersed in the book before her. To her surprise a warm hand finally gets hold of her wrist and takes out the book from grip.

“So you’re also a fan of Murakami?” Clarke greets Lexa with a raised eyebrow while maintaining her grip on Lexa’s wrist as she examines the book.

“Hey, Clarke...” was all Lexa could muster.

“Hey, how are you?” Lexa stiffened as Clarke proceeded to embrace her and as their cheeks touched for the first time. “I get it, not much of a hugger, huh?” Clarke noticed Lexa’s awkwardness.

“Probably, don’t just have enough friends to have physical interactions with...” and just right after her statement, Lexa realized how that sentence could have contained a double meaning.

“Haha, well, I’m not much into “physical interactions” with my friends either” Clarke winked as she teased Lexa.

“No, it’s not what I mean...” Lexa scolded herself internally.

“Yes, Lexa, I know what you mean, I’m just teasing.” Clarke reassured. “You really are awkward, awkward yet funny, I like that.”

“I like you to...” _Oh no, did I just say that one out loud?_ Lexa wanted the floor to swallow her at that very moment.

“You’re a bit forward but yeah, I think I like you too. But should we get over this evening first before we finally decide?” Clarke giggled, as she went to scan the menu.

It was in the same evening that Lexa found out that Clarke hated some of the things she liked; this involved pickles in sandwiches, predicting plots while watching movies, and eating sour candies when she’s stressed. It was during their third date that Clarke learned about Lexa’s family and Lexa learned about Clarke’s. It was after two weeks from their fifth date that Clarke got to nurse Lexa back to health when she caught respiratory tract infection. It was after a month of knowing each other when they finally decided to get physically intimate. It was after an entire day of physical intimacy that they finally broke and exchanged “I love yous”. It was after four months of dating when they decided to move in together and adopt another cat to accompany Charlemagne. It was a year after Clarke graduated when they broke up given that Clarke needed to be miles away from Lexa and the long distance relationship did not work. It was a month after they broke up that they saw each other again in a New Year’s Eve party that Aden organized. The day after the party, they patched things up over brunch. It was six months after that party when Clarke proposed to Lexa and the cats. It took them a year to prepare for their wedding but Clarke moved back in after the proposal and these all started in just one dull hung-over morning at Lincoln’s grocery.

* * *

 


End file.
